MMT Quick Review: WIDOWS

Happy Sunday MMT Fam! I was so excited when 20th Century Fox mailed me a screener for WIDOWS, which was released February 5th on 4K Ultra HD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It was definitely the film at the top of my “I’m so mad I couldn’t get out to the theater” list from last year!

With an all-star line-up that includes Academy-award winner Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, and Cynthia Erivo, Widows follows the story of four women who find themselves in a dangerous predicament set in motion by the actions, and subsequent deaths, of their husbands. The film also features Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya , and the remarkable Brian Tyree Henry – who has to be the most underrated actor of 2018 leaving his mark not only in this film but with his turn in the critically acclaimed If Beale Street Could Talk.

As much a statement on gender, race, and social politics as it is a crime thriller, the movie is a slow-burning study until the pivot – which was really good, but a bit too much of a reveal (and since this is a non-spoiler site, I’ll just say the audience didn’t need confirmation until the final garage scene as to what was behind the door 😉 ).

Directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave), from a screenplay written by the Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), there are unflinching moments and, true to the aforementioned’s natures, there are raw moments that definitely make you want to cringe.

All in all, Widows is a fun, well-acted thrill ride that starts slow, gains speed and finishes strong – and is more than satisfying in its resolution. I rate it 3 1/2 beats on the MMTrometer.